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Civil disobedience : Thoreau et la désobéissance civile (Tle)

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civil disobediencela désobéissance civile
Thoreau refused to pay his taxes.Thoreau a refusé de payer ses impôts.
an unjust lawune loi injuste
He spent a night in jail.Il a passé une nuit en prison.
His essay inspired Gandhi and Martin Luther King.Son essai a inspiré Gandhi et Martin Luther King.
Is it ever right to break the law?Est-il parfois juste d'enfreindre la loi ?

En 1846, l'écrivain américain Henry David Thoreau refuse de payer un impôt pour protester contre l'esclavage et une guerre qu'il juge injuste. Il passe une nuit en prison. Dans son essai Civil Disobedience (1849), il défend l'idée qu'un citoyen doit refuser d'obéir à une loi injuste, de façon pacifique, en acceptant d'en payer le prix. Ses idées ont inspiré Gandhi, Martin Luther King et de nombreux mouvements actuels, notamment pour le climat. Mais où est la limite ? Qui décide qu'une loi est injuste ?

Mise en situation : le débat

Teacher : In 1846, Thoreau refused to pay his taxes because the money supported slavery and an unjust war. Was he right?
En 1846, Thoreau a refusé de payer ses impôts parce que l'argent soutenait l'esclavage et une guerre injuste. Avait-il raison ?
Ella : Yes. If a law is unjust, citizens have a duty to disobey it, peacefully.
Oui. Si une loi est injuste, les citoyens ont le devoir de lui désobéir, pacifiquement.
Nathan : But if everyone decided which laws to obey, there would be chaos.
Mais si chacun décidait à quelles lois obéir, ce serait le chaos.
Ella : Civil disobedience isn't chaos. Thoreau accepted his punishment. So did Martin Luther King.
La désobéissance civile, ce n'est pas le chaos. Thoreau a accepté sa punition. Martin Luther King aussi.
Nathan : What about climate activists who block roads today?
Et les militants pour le climat qui bloquent des routes aujourd'hui ?
Teacher : That's the real question: is it ever right to break the law, and who decides what is unjust?
C'est la vraie question : est-il parfois juste d'enfreindre la loi, et qui décide de ce qui est injuste ?

À retenir

  • civil disobedience, a law, justice, a protest, non-violence, an activist, a punishment, a duty, chaos.
  • If + prétérit, would ; have a duty to ; So did... ; Is it ever right to...? ; refused to.

Exercice 1 : La désobéissance civile : exercice 1 (QCM)

  1. « la désobéissance civile »
    1. civil disobeying
    2. civic disobedient
    3. civil disobedience
  2. Thoreau a refusé de payer...
    1. ses dettes
    2. son loyer
    3. ses impôts
  3. Son essai date de...
    1. 1849
    2. 1949
    3. 1749
  4. « une loi injuste »
    1. an unjust law
    2. an unjustice law
    3. an injust law
  5. Thoreau a inspiré...
    1. Henri VIII
    2. Napoléon
    3. Gandhi et Martin Luther King
  6. « Est-il parfois juste d'enfreindre la loi ? »
    1. Is it never right to break the law?
    2. Is it ever right to break the law?
    3. It is ever right to break the law?
  7. « Martin Luther King aussi. » (a accepté)
    1. So was Martin Luther King.
    2. Also did Martin Luther King.
    3. So did Martin Luther King.
  8. « pacifiquement »
    1. peaceful
    2. piecefully
    3. peacefully
  9. « Si chacun décidait, ce serait le chaos. »
    1. If everyone decides, there would be chaos.
    2. If everyone decided, there would be chaos.
    3. If everyone decided, there will be chaos.
  10. « Il a passé une nuit en prison. »
    1. He spent a night in jail.
    2. He spended a night in jail.
    3. He spent a night in a jail of.

Exercice 2 : La désobéissance civile : exercice 2 (à compléter)

  1. Thoreau .......................... to pay his taxes.
  2. If a law is .......................... , citizens should disobey it.
  3. Citizens have a duty to .......................... it.
  4. If everyone decided which laws to obey, there would be .......................... .
  5. Thoreau accepted his .......................... .
  6. So .......................... Martin Luther King.
  7. Is it ever right to .......................... the law?
  8. He spent a night in .......................... .
  9. His essay .......................... Gandhi.
  10. civil ..........................

Exercice 3 : La désobéissance civile : mise en situation

  1. Thoreau a refusé de payer ses impôts.
    1. Thoreau refused paying his taxes.
    2. Thoreau refused to pay his taxes.
    3. Thoreau refuse to pay his taxes.
  2. Avait-il raison ?
    1. Did he right?
    2. Was he right?
    3. Had he right?
  3. Les citoyens ont le devoir de désobéir.
    1. Citizens has a duty to disobey.
    2. Citizens have a duty to disobey.
    3. Citizens have a duty disobeying.
  4. Si chacun décidait, ce serait le chaos.
    1. If everyone decided, it will be chaos.
    2. If everyone would decide, there was chaos.
    3. If everyone decided, there would be chaos.
  5. Thoreau a accepté sa punition.
    1. Thoreau accepted his punishment.
    2. Thoreau accepted her punishment.
    3. Thoreau accept his punishment yesterday.
  6. Martin Luther King aussi.
    1. So was Martin Luther King.
    2. Too did Martin Luther King.
    3. So did Martin Luther King.
  7. Et les militants qui bloquent des routes ?
    1. What about activists which block roads?
    2. What about activists who blocks roads?
    3. What about activists who block roads?
  8. Qui décide de ce qui est injuste ?
    1. Who decide what is unjust?
    2. Who decides what is unjust?
    3. Who decides what is injust?
  9. Il a passé une nuit en prison.
    1. He spent a night in a prisoner.
    2. He spent a night in jail.
    3. He spended a night in jail.
  10. Son essai a inspiré de nombreux mouvements.
    1. His essay inspired many movements.
    2. His essay inspired much movements.
    3. His essay inspire many movements yesterday.

Corrigé

Exercice 1

1. c) civil disobedience · 2. c) ses impôts · 3. a) 1849 · 4. a) an unjust law · 5. c) Gandhi et Martin Luther King · 6. b) Is it ever right to break the law? · 7. c) So did Martin Luther King. · 8. c) peacefully · 9. b) If everyone decided, there would be chaos. · 10. a) He spent a night in jail.

Exercice 2

1. refused · 2. unjust · 3. disobey · 4. chaos · 5. punishment · 6. did · 7. break · 8. jail · 9. inspired · 10. disobedience

Exercice 3

1. b) Thoreau refused to pay his taxes. · 2. b) Was he right? · 3. b) Citizens have a duty to disobey. · 4. c) If everyone decided, there would be chaos. · 5. a) Thoreau accepted his punishment. · 6. c) So did Martin Luther King. · 7. c) What about activists who block roads? · 8. b) Who decides what is unjust? · 9. b) He spent a night in jail. · 10. a) His essay inspired many movements.